Online Webinar featuring Gerald Garth coming October 22. Click here to register now!

 The recent unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd and other attacks of unarmed black citizens have pushed the issue of racial disparity to the forefront of our national conversation. These incidents have left many of us feeling overcome with sadness and sorrow. We at Gay Sons and Mothers resolve to use our collective sense of humanity to ensure we offer compassion to the black community and especially to mothers and sons who are experiencing a heightened threat to their safety. For now, we will focus on the relationships of Black African American mothers and sons. More than ever, this moment in time beckons us to give prominence to our commitment to inclusion.

The emotional relationship between gay sons and their mothers has been pathologized, idealized… and, surprisingly, largely unexplored. This project validates the significance of a mother’s role in her son’s life where, for many decades, she received little encouragement from others.

We believe mothers and sons deserve to be honored through the stories they share.

Gay Sons and Mothers collects, curates, discusses, celebrates, and preserves narratives that educate, inspire, and bring hope to audiences around the globe. Gay Sons and Mothers chronicles lived experiences of pain, joy, and persistence that inspire and provide a sense of hope.

Storytelling helps people make sense of their world and learn how others faced challenges and grew stronger as a result. Gay Sons and Mothers is honored to join a proud tradition of preserving and passing along stories that reflect the strengths and struggles related to the formation of sexual identity and sexual expression in the context of the parent-child relationship. Our stories are powerful because they are transformative, and allow audiences to experience something profound.

“Attending Rick’s presentation at Yale New Haven Health Services was an unexpected pleasure. I was so moved by the stories of the men and women he shared—of their love and courage—and I really came to understand the lifeline that gay sons and their moms can be for each other. In bringing the tributaries together into one expansive stream, a photographer’s eye and a natural psychological acuity are blended. Rick’s powerful multimedia portraits explore the challenges and triumphs of the individuals who are in the frame, and reveal the richly braided cord between mothers and their gay sons that exists outside of it.” (Suzi Tucker, Writer and Family Constellations Facilitator)